Certain notes are true for each issue. Each one is written by
Alan Moore, drawn and lettered by Dave Gibbons, and colored by John
Higgins.

Moreover, each issue has a continuing motif, a reoccuring object
or pattern that is seen on the cover, the first and last page (usually),
and throughout the issue. This issue's motif is the blood-spattered
smiley-face button.

Another trend is the title, which is always an excerpt from an
apropos quote shown in its entirety in the last panel.

The clock appearing on the covers counts the minutes to
midnight, similar to the clock in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists,
which is an estimate of the world's closeness to nuclear war. The clock
stands at 11 minutes to midnight, and advances by one minute per issue.